NOTES: Who knew I had so much influence in baseball decisions? The other day, I asked Jays manager John Gibbons if he knew rookie Josh Banks was from Baltimore. "Oh yeah?" he responded. "That’s good to know." And what do you know, Gibby said today that Banks will indeed get the nod to start for Toronto on Thursday here in Baltimore. Banks said he will have in the neighborhood of 500 family and friends making the trek to Camden Yards. The way the O’s have been drawing lately, that just might double the attendance. … 1B Lyle Overbay had surgery to remove four pins from his ailing right hand in Baltimore and Dr. Thomas Graham found a lot of scar tissue in the Jays’ first baseman’s hand. The club said the operation to clean up the hand went well. … CF Vernon Wells was also scheduled to have an operation to remove a cyst and repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder on Tuesday. Prior to the game, the club had no updates on the surgery. … Gibbons said that SS John McDonald does have a sports hernia and he will have surgery to fix the issue after the season. It’s not a serious injury and McDonald was still in the lineup. … Banks, David Smith, Josh Kreuzer, Travis Snider, Brett Cecil, Johermyn Chavez, Welington Ramirez and Yensy Perez each were awarded a Webster Award this season — the organization’s accololade for the top player at each minor league level.

BREAKING EVEN…Toronto needs to post a 3-3 record over its final six games to finish the season above .500.

In a game that means nouthing the Os put their best team on the field????

Jordan good luck in the playoffs at least you made it.

As for Abner no praise from me he is not a good manager and never will be,bosox is just trying to make himself look good on the Abner matter if he likes him so much he can have him,Remember we never made it and Abner was the manager [HOW SOON WE FORGET].

In Birmingham, Ala., arm specialist Dr. James Andrews went to work on Wells’ left shoulder. Andrews repaired a torn labrum in the outfielder’s arm, but did not remove the cyst that had developed. A team official said Andrews didn’t want to remove the cyst due to its close proximity to a nerve in Wells’ shoulder.

According to the team official, though, the cyst was not related to the torn labrum, which Andrews believes was the primary source of Wells’ discomfort. Wells should be able to begin swinging a bat in three months and the Blue Jays believe he’ll be healthy and ready to go by the time Spring Training rolls around.

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